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Leadership is a crucial driver of project performance. While traditionally, the project leader was considered as the exclusive source of leadership behavior, recent research indicates that particularly dispersed projects may profit from joint leadership efforts by all project members. However, leadership functions in dispersed projects are likely to differ from those in a face-to-face context. In this chapter, we specify shared leadership functions for the domain of geographically dispersed project teams with high levels of task uncertainty. Arguing that shared leadership in dispersed teams occurs through interrelation of individual and team actions, we specify a dispersed screening function as well as self-, other-, and team-directed interrelation functions and develop propositions on how these functions are related to project performance. Furthermore, we point to motivational aspects of shared leadership and discuss the role of the vertical leader in developing and facilitating shared leadership.

This paper aims to explore how new product development (NPD)-based project management offices (PMOs) work, their drivers to deliver performance and their project success impact.

The study used a survey of 35 Brazilian and multi-national companies that identified the effort to perform a list of PMO functions, some PMO drivers in the company and five project performance perception indicators. The authors apply a specific set of statistics to uncover the relations between these dimensions of interest.

The factorial analysis allows us to find the main functions influencing each other. The project teams’ perception of project management (PM) performance is suggested as a success factor that drives PMOs when working on portfolio management issues, managing project files and promoting PM over the company.

This paper contributes to a contingency approach for designing a project machine involving PMOs to support NPD projects. Managers can set the most suitable PMO functions avoiding mimicry when structuring their NPD efforts.

PMOs have impacted team satisfaction and control of project data but not indicators related to triple constraints.

Programmer resources as measured in available hours are often a limiting or constraining resource in software projects and maintenance. A key element in software project management, therefore, is the forecast of required programming hours. Estimates based on past experience and similar projects are generally unreliable and usually underestimate the level of programming resources required. Function point counting provides a reliable methodology for estimating the level of effort required in software projects. Presents the results of using and modifying function point counting procedures in a maintenance environment where changes are often confined to one or more lines of code. The study indicates that even in this environment, function point counting procedures are useful. Finally, function point counting in the maintenance environment as discussed in this paper helped uncover problems in resource management, training, and personnel evaluation.

The authors examine the extent to which a controller's involvement in project functions (namely definition and scope, organization, constraints management and risk management) cascades down to project performance.

The authors test the study’s framework using survey data from a sample of project leaders in German and Swiss firms. Responses were analyzed using the partial least squares (PLS) technique.

The authors find that controllers contribute to project success via the previously described project functions. Further, the study reveals the crucial role of controllers in managing uncertainty and project risks.

Although the arguments used in this research were not country specific and suggest that the findings of this study also apply to the controller professional in general, this study clearly acknowledges that further research is needed to address the effects of this role in different jurisdictions given the specific characteristics of controllers acting in German-speaking countries.

The authors provide insights on the role of controllers at an operational level, like project management, highlighting the need for controllers to support an effective project governance.

The authors add to the literature by examining the role of controllers in highly knowledge-intensive, highly pressured, task-driven, interdependent and dynamic operational settings, thus contributing to a better understanding of how controllers function at an operational level. The authors also strengthen a broader role of controllers in project management that goes beyond their historical controlling activities to include more modern functions, extending previous studies analyzing their professional identity.

Successful commissioning and startup (CSU) is critical to successful capital project completion. Industrial facility production and operations can also be affected by the level of CSU success. Specifically, transitions between construction, commissioning and startup (CCSU) phases, as well as between project organizations, have been identified as an opportunity for improvement across the industry. The purpose of this paper is to establish and clarify CCSU accountabilities and responsibilities for industrial-type capital projects across these transitions.

This research used a panel of industry practitioners to assist with data collection, review research products and provide industry perspective. The authors used the insight of these CCSU experts to craft new CCSU models. A separate set of industry practitioners was used to validate the findings, and an illustrative case study is also provided. Descriptive analyses and statistics aid the interpretation of research findings.

Substantial research findings include: three novel CCSU project delivery models, a comprehensive CCSU activity flowchart applicable across industrial sectors, and an extensive CCSU RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed) matrix detailing responsibility and accountability assignments across 60 project functions for all of the 124 CCSU flowchart activities. Four key leadership functions are found to be accountable for most of the CCSU process. A need for frontloading CCSU activities during construction is clearly demonstrated, and the value of administrative activities as enablers of core CCSU activities should not be underestimated.

The findings contribute to a more accurate model of CCSU execution best practices for industrial applications. Specifically, CCSU project delivery models give insight into high-level transition structures between organizations and across phases.

The extensive listing of CCSU activities along with suggested accountability and responsibility assignments for each activity give CCSU managers a starting point for ensuring that important tasks are not left undone during this critical phase of capital projects.

New CCSU models for industrial capital projects presented in this paper (including CCSU project delivery models, activity flowchart and RACI matrix) constitute substantial contributions to the industrial construction body of knowledge. These models provide more comprehensive coverage of CCSU topics than their predecessors, and specifically address activities and issues pertinent to industrial construction. The establishment and clarification of responsibility and accountability assignments are of particular value during this high-transition stage of capital projects.

The purpose of this paper is to explore managerial functions and related activities of inexperienced project managers in the front-end of the innovation (FEI) process.

In total, 15 student project managers were interviewed while they were engaged in the front-end phase of their respective eight-month projects. In total, 757 interview transcript segments on their perceptions of managerial functions were categorized based on thematic similarity of content.

Four major managerial functions emerged: providing structural support, coordinating and acting as a link, empowering the team, and encouraging and providing social support. Out of these, traditional task-oriented managerial functions were emphasized.

Although limited by the small amount of participants in a university setting, the results suggest that task-oriented managerial functions are dominant even in the FEI for inexperienced project managers. More research is needed to understand the antecedents and consequences of such task-dominance, and whether it persists as more experience is accrued. On the other hand, domain knowledge seemed to play a smaller role than indicated by previous research.

Project managers should pay attention to creating structure in the uncertain front-end phase. Swift familiarization with the capabilities and practices of each team member cannot be overemphasized, as otherwise the heterogeneity of the team might become a limitation rather than asset. On the other hand, domain experience of the manager may not be necessary in the FEI.

The study addresses the gap in previous research on managerial functions specifically in the FEI. Task-oriented managerial functions emerged as way of novice project managers attempting to deal with the fluctuating contingencies in order to foster innovation.

The focus of this paper is on life‐cycle objective‐based project management systems in general, and SPMIS in particular. SPMIS (short for Smart Project Management Information System), has been designed: (a) to facilitate the employment of life‐cycle objective‐based project management approaches; and (b) to support concurrent engineering and construction, thus promoting greater integration of the processes under which projects are proposed and implemented. In order to validate the functions designed for SPMIS the authors undertook a detailed case study of a large capital project. The actual project management functions employed by the project team on the case project were researched and charted using the best current PM practices as the guide. While this field research shed light on the actual needs and requirements, the design of the SPMIS functions was approached from first principles in order to incorporate the basic shift from the traditional objectives of cost, time, and quality to life‐cycle objective functions, such as return on investment, facility operability, and life‐cycle integration. This paper describes the fundamental philosophy and framework for the development of life‐cycle objective function‐based project management systems in general, and contrasts these with the existing PM methods.

The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework and the preliminary results from a research programme on organisational project management. It aims at exploring how organisational project management can be conceptualised as a function within the organisation.

The methodological framework is based on a constructivist epistemology. This research programme contains two sequential phases based on a robust mixed method. The first phase of the qualitative approach, which is the focus of this paper, includes 20 interviews with executives and middle managers.

This approach is expected to be helpful in assessing the fit between organisational context, project management implementation and organisational strategy. The proposed theoretical framework draws from the exploration of organisational project management as a function. Preliminary results confirm that organisational project management can be best understood as a function within the organisation. Future research includes the second phase of this research programme based on a quantitative approach.

This research situates project management within the theoretical field of organisational design. It borrows from innovation literature the concept of function that serve as a foundation piece in the proposed framework, to integrate the various activities undertaken to manage multiple projects.

This research provides some evidence for the organisation design that serves articulating different activities undertaken for the management of multiple projects into a coherent function throughout the organisation.

This research explores what organisations really do when they face the challenges of managing multiple projects while at the same time pursuing their operations. Interviews with executives and middle managers clearly justify the identification of a function dedicated to the overall project management.

Road construction projects are one of the strategic industries in each country and their construction and development requires spending huge funds. Regarding the increased demand and resource constraints; a technique which reduces costs by maintaining and improving the functioning is of great importance for the authorities of each country. Value engineering is a comprehensive and coherent means based on innovation and team work which, in addition to maintaining the quality and improving the project function, reduces its cost and is not limited to the design and construction phase; however, it includes exploitation and maintenance as well. This study aims to present a practical model for the implementation and application of value engineering process in a construction project located in a special region (in terms of tourism, positioning in an economic growth path, and the East-West strategic axis of the region). In this regard, after reviewing the advisor's design, considering the interests of the project stakeholders, reviewing design criteria and assessment methods and with the use of value engineering techniques, a new option was presented which led to a significant reduction in costs and time and an increase of quality, safety, and environmental factors. Finally, including initial costs, repair, maintenance, income and expenses, the relative value index of this option, compared to the advisor's option, increased from 0.9 to 3.5. Based on the increased need for development of roads in the country, exploiting this model in similar projects can significantly improve the project value and the effectiveness of investments.

This research project was selected with regard to the extremely high credit of the project and its potential in terms of Value Engineering implementation. In this study, technical and financial information were first collected after forming a value engineering team including a value engineering expert who was responsible for coordinating the work, some representatives of the employer, designer, executor, and budget estimator. In functional analysis phase with the use of FAST graph, advantageous, costly, and risky functions were identified. In the creativity phase, ideas related to selected functions were created and investigated and developed in the evaluation phase. Finally, calculating the value index, two variants with higher value index than the baseline plan, were proposed and implemented.

Since the determining criteria of designing and implementation of road construction projects including increased safety, reduced travel time, user satisfaction, ease of implementation, cost of construction and maintenance and so on are almost similar in most projects, using this study results and implementing its practical framework in other construction projects can be beneficial. These parameters lead to an increase in quality, value, and safety of the project. With regard to done steps and resulted incomes, this essay can be known as a practical and theoretical model to promote the value of crucial projects especially in developing countries.

Sanandaj-Hamedan road with the length 176km connects central provinces of Iran. This study is regarding the first part of this route. Based on the specific topography of the region and the existing road limitations, selecting a good variance with all the features of an ideal road from geometric, economic, and safety aspects is a difficult task.

Employers and project sponsors are always looking for products with greater value and lower cost; therefore, present a practical model for the implementation and application of value engineering process in a construction project and providing a similar work experience can encourage the use of value engineering techniques and significantly improve the project value and the effectiveness of investments.

This paper aims to propose a framework that puts the stakeholders at the forefront of achieving sustainability in the social context. This research, thus, argues that the social sustainability outcomes in construction are best achieved by taking into account the satisfactions of the stakeholders.

Based on sustainability and equity theories, a dynamic assessment model has been developed to evaluate the contributions of projects in a social context. Multiple stakeholders and their differing interests associated with the construction projects have been integrated using social network analysis. The mapping of the relationships between the project stakeholders, with respect to their relative stakes and seven social core functions, have been integrated in the assessment model.

The findings of this research suggest that the degree of satisfying the needs of diverse stakeholders is highly significant in achieving social sustainability performance of projects. Using a case study from Saudi Arabia, the applicability and significance of the assessment model has been demonstrated. The application of the model provides the opportunity to identify any problems and to enhance the overall performance of projects in the social context.

The functionality and efficacy of the model need to be further tested outside the Saudi Arabian region.

The research is original in the sense that for the first time, a novel approach has been developed, putting the stakeholders at the forefront of achieving sustainability outcomes in construction projects.